The Angel (Warren Worthington) debuted in 1963's X-Men vol 1 #1, by which point he had already become a superhero and joined the X-Men.  Warren's origin is pretty much covered by the "Origins of the X-Men" back-up strips in X-Men vol 1 #54-56.  In those stories, writer Arnold Drake takes a commendably brief 15 pages to bash through the majority of Warren's life prior to joining the X-Men.  Of course, that hasn't stopped later writers from cluttering up the listing with largely inconsequential junk - as you'll see below.

This listing is largely based on Dave Hall's analysis.  Where the same issue features several times in the listings, page and panel numbers are given.

UNCANNY ORIGINS #3, page 2
Various scenes of Warren as a young boy, playing games and attending grade school.

X-FACTOR vol 1 #47, page 5 panels 2-4, flashback
At grade school, Warren gives his teacher an apple, and the other kids tease him for sucking up.  [The flashback in X-Factor vol 1 #47 works on the basis that Warren was never popular as a child.  That contradicts X-Men vol 1 #54-56, and also Uncanny Origins #3.  However, the individual scenes do not pose continuity problems, taken as isolated incidents.]

X-FACTOR vol 1 #47, page 5 panels 5-7, flashback
Young Warren ignores an expensive birthday party arranged by his father, in favour of watching the sky.

LOGAN: SHADOW SOCIETY
A Wolverine story set before he was captured by Weapon X.  Includes a cameo appearance in which young Warren is taken to the Hellfire Club by his father, for the first time.  [This issue is a continuity nightmare for a number of reasons, mostly relating to Wolverine and Sabretooth - but I'll come back to that when we get to those characters.]

X-MEN vol 2 #29, flashback
On a later visit to the Hellfire Club, young Warren is introduced to Sebastian and Shinobi Shaw.

X-MEN vol 1 #54, second story, pages 1-2
Warren develops a habit of climbing into inaccessible places and endangering himself.  His parents decide to send him off to boarding school.

X-FACTOR vol 1 #47, page 5 panel 8, flashback
Warren arrives at his boarding school, Fairburn Boys School, for the first time.

UNCANNY ORIGINS #3, page 2, panels 4-5
Warren's chauffeur drops him off at the school.  [Doesn't match the above flashback, but it might be a different occasion.]  Warren goes on to become the most popular boy in the school.

X-FACTOR vol 1 #47, page 5 panels 9-10, flashback
Warren delivers a class paper on flight, to a hostile reception.  Later, he attends a school dance.

MARVEL FANFARE vol 1 #50, flashback
Warren goes to a school dance (not necessarily the same one) with Cressida, a girl from a nearby school.  [Marvel Fanfare vol 1 #50 is an Angel story set during his time in X-Factor, in which he was reunited with Cressida.]

X-MEN vol 1 #54, second story, page 3
Warren has become a star athlete.  Other boys tease him about his enlarged shoulder blades.  He discovers that he is growing wings.

UNCANNY ORIGINS #3, pages 3-4
Warren's wings grow to the point where they can no longer be ignored.  He starts strapping them down so that people will not see them.  (The idea of Warren strapping down his enormous wings to render them invisible is manifestly ridiculous, of course, but it had already been established in the early Silver Age.)  Warren starts to deliberately alienate other pupils and withdraws from school life, hoping to make it easier to conceal his wings.  [X-Men vol 1 #54, second story, had alluded to all of this but didn't actually show it.]

X-MEN vol 1 #54, second story, pages 4-5
The boys' dorm catches fire.  Warren dresses as an angel to disguise his identity, and saves everyone.  [A different version of this event appears in Uncanny Origins #3.]

X-MEN vol 1 #55, second story, flashback
Having left school, Warren sets himself up with a Manhattan apartment and equips himself to begin a career as a superhero.  He names himself the Avenging Angel.

X-MEN vol 1 #55, second story
On his first patrol, the Avenging Angel is accidentally affected by his own knockout gas, and starts to behave erratically.  [Uncanny Origins #3 gives a slightly different account of this sequence, the main difference being that the gas is no longer part of Warren's own equipment, so he doesn't look quite so stupid.]

X-MEN vol 1 #56, second story
The X-Men (comprising just Cyclops and Iceman at this point) subdue the Avenging Angel until the gas wears off.  He joins the team and becomes the Angel.

X-MEN vol 1 #51, second story
The X-Men learn that Hank McCoy has been kidnapped...

X-MEN vol 1 #52, second story
...set out to rescue him...

X-MEN vol 1 #53, second story
...and succeed.  Hank joins the team as the Beast.

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #85, third story (flashback)
The Angel, Cyclops and Iceman subdue the Beast when he flies into a rage during training.

X-MEN vol 1 #1
The X-Men make their public debut and battle Magneto.  Warren's first published appearance.

Last revised: 14 August 2004